Oxford FHS Administrative Law: the starred cases
Every case the Faculty stars as core on the 2026-27 FHS Administrative Law list, in the list's own topic order, with a free brief for each: ratio, the judgments, key reasoning, how the case fits the module and the leading criticisms. Oxford material on Caselaw is free for everyone, with no sign-up.
The briefs are written with AI from each case's name, citation and general legal knowledge (never from the judgment text), with no quotations or paragraph pinpoints. 32 of these judgments are on Find Case Law, linked from each page; the rest (mostly pre-2001 and House of Lords) are not, so read the report.
Error of law
- Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation Commission [1968] 2 QB 862, [1969] 2 AC 147★
- R (Privacy International) v Investigatory Powers Tribunal [2019] UKSC 22★
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, ss 65-69
- R (Privacy International) v Investigatory Powers Tribunal [2019] UKSC 22★
Error of fact
- E v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] EWCA Civ 49, [2004] QB 1044★
- R (A) v Croydon LBC; R (M) v Lambeth LBC [2009] UKSC 8, [2009] 1 WLR 2557★
Questions of law and questions of fact
- Edwards (Inspector of Taxes) v Bairstow [1956] AC 14★
Ouster of judicial review
- Anisminic Ltd v Foreign Compensation Commission [1969] 2 AC 147★
- R (Cart) v The Upper Tribunal [2011] UKSC 28★
2. Fair procedures
- Ridge v Baldwin [1964] AC 40★
- Osborn v Parole Board; Booth v Parole Board; Re Reilly [2013] UKSC 61★
- R (Begum) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission [2021] UKSC 7★
Closed proceedings and special advocates
- R (Roberts) v Parole Board [2005] UKHL 45★
- R v Gough [1993] AC 646, [1993] 2 All ER 724★
- Porter v Magill [2001] UKHL 67, [2002] AC 357★
- The Good Law Project (R on the application of) v The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2022] EWCA Civ 21★not republished here
Impact of the Human Rights Act on administrative process
- R (Anderson) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2002] UKHL 46, [2003] 1 AC 837, [2002] 4 All ER 1089★
- Ali v Birmingham City Council [2010] UKSC 8, [2010] 2 AC 39★
Giving reasons for decisions
- R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Doody [1994] AC 531★
- Dover District Council v CPRE Kent [2017] UKSC 79★
Delegation
- Carltona Ltd v Commissioners of Works [1943] 2 All ER 560★
- R v Adams [2020] UKSC 19★
Fettering of discretion: rules, policies and discretion
- British Oxygen Co Ltd v Minister of Technology [1971] AC 610★
- R (Sandiford) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2014] UKSC 44★
Challenging policies, challenging departures from policies
- R (A) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 37★
Improper purposes
Relevant/irrelevant considerations
- Bromley LBC v Greater London Council [1983] 1 AC 768★
Common law constitutional rights and principles
- R (Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51★
- R (Miller) v The Prime Minister; Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland [2019] UKSC 41★
Unreasonableness
- Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd v Wednesbury Corporation [1948] 1 KB 223★
- R v Chief Constable of Sussex, ex parte International Trader's Ferry Ltd [1999] 2 AC 418, [1999] 1 All ER 129★
- Kennedy v Charity Commission [2014] UKSC 20★
Proportionality
- R (Begum) v Governors of Denbigh High School [2006] UKHL 15, [2007] 1 AC 100★
- Shvidler v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2025] UKSC 30, [2026] AC 607★
Procedural protection for legitimate expectations
- R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Khan [1984] 1 WLR 1337, [1985] 1 All ER 40★
- R v Devon CC, ex p Baker [1995] 1 All ER 73★not republished here
Substantive protection for legitimate expectations
- R v North and East Devon Health Authority, ex p Coughlan [2000] 2 WLR 622★
- R (Nadarajah) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2005] EWCA Civ 1363★
- The Duke of Sussex, R (on the application of) v The Secretary of State for The Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 548★not republished here
- Mandalia v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] UKSC 59★
Ultra vires representations
- Rowland v Environment Agency [2003] EWCA Civ 1885, [2005] Ch 1★
When are private bodies subject to judicial review?
- R v Panel on Take-overs and Mergers, ex parte Datafin plc [1987] 1 QB 815★
- R v Disciplinary Committee of the Jockey Club, ex parte Aga Khan [1993] 1 WLR 909★
- Tortoise Media Limited, R (on the application of) v Conservative and Unionist Party [2023] EWHC 3088 (Admin)★not republished here
- Donoghue v Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association Ltd [2001] EWCA Civ 595, [2002] QB 48★
- YL v Birmingham City Council [2007] UKHL 27, [2007] 3 WLR 112★
Senior Courts Act 1981, s 31(3)
- R v Inland Revenue Commissioners, ex parte National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses Ltd [1982] AC 617★
- R v Secretary of State for the Environment, ex parte Rose Theatre Trust Co [1990] 1 QB 504★
- R v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, ex p World Development Movement Ltd [1995] 1 WLR 386★
- R (DSD and NBV) v Parole Board [2018] EWHC 694 (Admin), [2018] EWHC 694★
- Al-Haq, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs [2009] EWHC 1910 (Admin)★not republished here
Human Rights Act 1998, s 7
- HM Treasury v Ahmed (No 2) [2010] UKSC 5★
- R (Imam) v London Borough of Croydon [2023] UKSC 45★
Contempt of court
- M v Home Office [1994] 1 AC 377★
- Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs v Rahmatullah [2012] UKSC 48★
Judicial review and the ombudsmen
- R v LCA ex p Eastleigh [1988] QB 855★not republished here
- R v Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, ex p Balchin [1997] JPL 917★
- R (Bradley) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2008] EWCA Civ 36★
Capacity to contract
- Attorney-General & Anor v Great Eastern Railway Company (1880) 5 App Cas 473★not republished here
- Hazell v Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council [1992] 2 AC 1★
Contracts that conflict with other policies
- Rederiaktiebolaget Amphitrite v The King (The Amphitrite) (1921) 3 KB 500★
- R (Newhaven Port and Properties Ltd) v East Sussex County Council [2015] UKSC 7★
What happens if the contract is ultra vires?
- Credit Suisse v Allerdale Borough Council [1997] QB 306★
Negligence of public bodies
- Michael v Chief Constable of South Wales Police [2015] UKSC 2, [2015] AC 1732★
- Robinson v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police [2018] UKSC 4, [2018] AC 736★
- Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis v DSD [2018] UKSC 11, [2019] AC 196★
Restitution
Also free: Mods Criminal Law cases, Mods Constitutional Law cases, FHS Tort cases, Oxford revision notes and FHS-style practice papers.
Judgment text comes from Find Case Law (The National Archives) under the Open Justice Licence. Case lists are the Faculty's 2026-27 lists; tutorial order varies by college. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].